Board debating ways to pay for covered building

Funds needed for fairgrounds

Hayden  Members of the Routt County Fair Board have been looking at costs and thinking of ways to raise money to build a covered structure at the fairgrounds, but nothing has yet been set in stone.

In October, the board decided to go through with a plan to build a covered, multipurpose arena to protect participants and judges from the weather. The decision capped off many years of discussion about revamping the fairgrounds in Hayden.

Now, the issue is paying for the darn thing.

"Just the building itself could be $180,000 to $220,000," board member Doug Wheeler said, adding the fair board feels comfortable spending about $200,000. It has $120,000 from state lottery funds, which is allocated from the county, for the building. To make up the difference on cost, the board is kicking around some ideas for fund-raisers.

"I can't really tell you for sure what we'll be doing," Wheeler said.

The board meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Routt County Courthouse to talk about fund raising. After that, officials hope to move ahead with a couple of the ideas.

If needed, the board plans to seek $80,000 in grant money to cover the difference.

The size of the structure could be reduced if the price of the lowest estimate to build the multipurpose building is too high.

Fair officials have thrown around numerous specifications, initially agreeing on a 200-by-72-foot building, but considered going as big as 125-by-250 feet or 150-by-300 feet, Wheeler said.

No matter what the size, the new building will be covered and located on the south side of the arena .

The current show arena, on the north end of the fairgrounds, will be torn down after the new one is built. Ideally, the board hopes to have the building finished by the 2001 Routt County Fair in August.

When complete, the multipurpose structure will be the first new building built in accordance with the fairgrounds' master plan. The plan was completed five years ago and shows numerous new buildings, showers and a large camping area.

The primary reason to build the multipurpose structure first was to protect people showing animals at the fair from the weather. Officials said this year it was mainly heat that was the weather problem. However, the rain did spoil part of the 4-H hog show. The children participating had to wait until the next day to show their animals, which meant preparing the animal two times.